3 Must Visit Towns on Lake Como

In 1818 Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote to Thomas Love Peacock: “This lake exceeds anything I ever beheld in beauty, with the exception of the arbutus islands of Killarney. It is long and narrow, and has the appearance of a mighty river winding among the mountains and the forests”. Undoubtedly romantic and beautiful, there’s a reason that Lake Como is Italy’s most visited lake. But with 24 towns and villages that make up Italy’s third largest lake, it can be tough to decide which towns are worthy of a visit during the perfect 3-day getaway. Following our Lake Como itinerary, don’t miss three must visit towns on Lake Como during your stay.

Varenna has been inhabited since the Iron Age

Day 1: Varenna and Lecco

Many people consider the steep hillside village of Varenna to be the most heavenly of all the towns on Lake Como, preferring the charming fisherman’s houses to the showier villas and grandeur of neighbors like Bellagio. And even though tourists do find their way to Varenna either on the short 15-minute ferry ride across the lake from Bellagio or arrive here on the direct train line from Milan, this village is still authentic and very much lived in by its 882 residents.

Varenna has actually been inhabited since the Iron Age. Even in the 12th century BC, Varenna was the very center – both commercially and geographically – of Lake Como.

The thing to do in Varenna is relax by the lakeside, enjoy a lingering lunch and visit the gardens of the two villas: Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi. There’s several touristic waterfront restaurants, and we suggest walking right on by them. Instead head to Al Prato for lunch. It’s located on a quiet little piazza and has a menu of homemade and fresh caught lake fish.

Work off lunch with a trek up the steep, narrow lanes to the Castello de Vezio. As you make your way up through the streets of the village, keep an eye out for all of the water bottles. They’re hard to miss, really, and is a tradition of the residents to keep stray cats from peeing on their doors.

The views on the way up to Castello di Vezio are worth the steep climb

The climb up to Castello di Vezio is well worth the effort. As you climb, a panorama of the lake opens up. From here, it’s easy to see the peninsula where Bellagio is situated and which divides the lake into two parts: Lecco on the left and Como on the right.

Castello di Vezio is an ancient military outpost high above Lake Como

Castello di Vezio has been standing on the bluff above Varenna for more than a thousand years. It was built by the order of the Lombard Queen Theodelinda as a military outpost and the strategic location was key to defending the lake and surrounding villages.

The ghosts are made each spring by an artist who covers willing visitors in gauze and chalk to make these molds

These days the castle has a permanent exhibition and hosts temporary art exhibitions, as well as being home to a falconry. Part of the permanent exhibition is a collection of “ghosts,” which are made from white chalk. Willing tourists who offer to pose in the spring and summer will be covered with gauze and the white chalk to make the ghost sculptures. The sculptures remain in the castle grounds until the snow comes and destroys them, then new ghosts are made again the next spring.

Climbing even higher up the turret gives you a panoramic view over Lake Como

Climb the castle turret for more even more stunning views of Lake Como. The turret also has a permanent collection of Lariosauro. It was a water reptile with a long neck and head that reportedly lived in Lake Como when this mountainous lake was covered by sea some 225 million years ago during the Middle Triassic Period. Most of the species of the Lariosauro have been found in the area of Lake Como, but recently some have also been found in China.

Lariosauro might not just be an extinct dinosaur, either. A fisherman reported seeing a reptile-like creature swimming in Lake Como in 1946. Another reported a creature with webbed feet in 1954. And a diver reported encountering a creature with the head of a crocodile and webbed reptilian feet at a depth of 328 feet in 1957. The sightings went on and on.

Loch Ness might have Nessie, but Lake Como has Lariosauro and nicknamed him Larry, for short. Maybe bring a pair of binoculars and keep your eye out!

The castle has trained birds of prey for many years

While Larry might be a figment of imagination spurred on by the media, Castello di Vezio’s birds of prey are very real – and impressive. The falconry trains and cares for birds of prey, including hawks, a buzzard, a barn owl and a great horned owl. The birds are outside in the olive grove (which is one of the most northerly olive groves in the world) during the day until the training demonstrations, so that visitors can observe the different birds of prey close up. The great horned owl is named Artu and he is one of the few left in the world.

A white barn owl is one of the resident birds of prey at Castello di Vezio

Falconry is an art that has been practiced for thousands of years and was recently inscribed on to UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage of humanity. For the well being of the birds, demonstrations only take place in good weather and when it’s not too hot. But even if the demonstration is not scheduled or is cancelled, you can still observe the birds.

After hiking back down to Varenna, either hop back on the ferry or on the train to Lecco. Not too many tourists make the 25-minute ferry journey to the town made world famous by Alessandro Manzoni’s masterpiece, The Bethrothed.

Hotel Griso has lovely views of Lecco

Lecco

Lecco is actually a bustling city that has long been a commercial center of trade, stretching back to at least 1149. The lakeside promenade and the bell tower of Basilica di San Nicolo are the highlights when it comes to the sights here, but you also won’t want to miss going on a Lake Como food tour.

Bresaola is an IGP protected food dating back to the 15th century.

Far away from the mass tourism of Bellagio, Lecco is the best place to rub elbows with the local Italians and taste some of the best products of Lombardy. This region is known for its delicious mortadella, bresola and alpine cheeses.

The 2.5-hour twilight walking food tour in Lecco combines sightseeing throughout the lake front town with tastings of cured meats from Lombardy, like the IGP protected Bresaola, alpine cheese, foccacia, local lake fish and the typical meatballs of Lake Como called Mondeghilo. The tour ends with a sit down dinner of homemade pasta and some Valtellina wine.

The bell tower sits atop underground tunnels that were used as a shelter during aerial raids in WWII

The campanile of Basilica di San Nicolo is the other thing not to be missed in Lecco. It dates back to 1864 and sits, quite literally, on a secret. Beneath the bell tower are underground passages that were used as shelter during WWII aerial attacks. You can climb the 400 steps up to the top of the campanile for a panoramic view over Lecco and this leg of Lake Como. Just be sure to reserve in advance as the bell tower can only be climbed on a guided tour. It’s free, but a small donation for the preservation is appreciated when you join a bell tower tour.

Narrow streets climb up through Bellagio

Day 2: Bellagio

Bellagio is called the pearl of Lake Como and is strategically situated at the intersection of the three branches of the y-shaped lake. It was already famous in Roman times, long before Americans began visiting and wanting to see the village the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is infamously named after. Even Pliny the Younger spent a short period in Bellagio and left us some of his works where he described his studies about the place, hunting and fishing.

A kayak offers a beautiful vantage point to take in Bellagio

Start out your day in Bellagio by taking it in from the water on a kayak tour. Paddling along Pescallo Bay, you’ll pass by Villa Serbelloni and the Rockefeller cliffs. The guided points out the posh villas that dot the hills around Lake Como’s most famous village.

Spaghetti with clams is a typical dish at Lake Como restaurants

After the 2-hour kayaking tour, head in to Bellagio’s old town center for lunch. Terrazza Barchetta has been a fixture of Bellagio since 1887 and the simple restaurant offers homemade dishes typical to Lake Como. Try the almond crusted lake trout, a bowl of spaghetti alle vongole or the Naples-style pizzas.

The restaurant is perched among the shops and sights of the old town. Wander through the shops and take time to visit the Basilica di San Giacomo, just a short walk up the cobbled steps of Bellagio. The church was built between 1075 and 1125 and is famous for its Romanesque exterior and gold-accented interior.

When your legs tire of all the up and down hills, it’s time for a gelato break. There are ample benches to enjoy gelato while taking in the views of the lake.

Wander back down and along the lakeside promenade for stunning views of the Alps across the lake. Make your way toward Piazza della Chiesa to join a guided tour of the historic Villa Serbelloni.

There’s not a more prominent spot on the water than the Villa Serbelloni

Villa Serbelloni has an ancient history. Where the villa sits today was once the site of a villa belonging to Pliny the Elder, a Bellagio born army and naval commander in the early Roman Empire. He was also an author and perhaps even the author of one of the first encyclopedias. The villa we see today was built sometime in the 15th century and became the property of Count Alessandro Serbelloni, for whom it is named. It was his heir, the Duke Serbelloni, that built the spectacular gardens, spending an exorbitant amount of money on them.

The villa fell in to disuse for a period after the death of the Duke and it was eventually purchased by a Swiss company in 1870 that turned the villa in to a hotel. Princess Ella Walker purchased the hotel and she left it as an inheritance to the Rockefeller Foundation in 1959. It’s been owned by the Rockefeller Foundation ever since and operates as one of the poshest hotels on Lake Como. The magnificent gardens are open to the public, but only on a guided tour which is available at 11am and 3:30pm from April through November.

Bellagio is said to be one of the most beautiful towns in Europe

Lake Como truly is one of those places you must visit, which is why several celebrities have homes here. It has made appearances in movies such as Ocean’s Twelve, Casino Royale and Star Wars, and was even the backdrop for Gwen Stefani’s music video “Cool”.

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About Jennifer Dombrowski

Jennifer Dombrowski is an independent travel publisher and an American expat who has lived in Bordeaux, France since 2016. She previously lived in Northern Italy in a small village near Venice for seven years where she fell in love with wine and wine tourism. She is an award-winning travel writer. She is also a travel correspondent on Traveling on the American Forces Radio Network. Luxe Adventure Traveler was named one of the top travel blogs to watch by the Huffington Post and TripAdvisor, and has been featured by top publications such as National Geographic, CNN, Buzzfeed, and Business Insider. Jennifer's photography has also been featured on publications such as USA Today and Travel + Leisure and on the Travel Channel.

Comments

Will visit lake como in early July for 3 nights and trying to figure out which town is best for our base. We will be training in from Milan and will not have a car so accessibility from train station is key. But also want to visit bellagio and gardens/villas in the vicinity. Suggestions?

Trains stop at many of the towns along the eastern shore of Lake Como including Como, Varenna and Lecco. We really like staying in Lecco since it’s not as touristy as some of the other towns. You can find affordable luxury there.

Hotel Griso has lake side rooms with balconies overlooking Lake Como and the town of Lecco. We enjoyed sitting on our balcony just relaxing and looking at the beautiful views. For around $100 per night with free wifi, free onsite parking, and breakfast we think this hotel can’t be beat! http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/griso.html?aid=1143113

Ciao’ Jennifer & Tim, I will be visiting Lake Como on June 18 taking the train from Milan to Como…my Plan is to take the slow ferry to Bellagio first, then the ferry to Varenna then train back to Milan. Does that sound doable? Thank You.

We will be in the Lake Como area for 3 nites in July, 2018. It has been recommended that we stay in Tavernola. We want to visit Bellagio and other towns. What other towns do you suggest we visit? How long does it take for the ferry to get from Tabernola to Bellagio? We will have a car. Thank you…..

Great information. We will be heading to Lake Como for a few days in October. We are coming right from the Milan airport and then taking the train from Varenna back to Milan to stay with friends. If you could only pick one town to stay in on Lake Como, which would it be?

October will be such a beautiful time to visit! In the case of taking the train to/from Varenna, you could stay in Varenna. It would be easy since you then don’t have to lug your bags on additional transportation to transfer to another town. Plus, Varenna is really the middle of Lake Como and it’s easy to get the ferry to Bellagio. Varenna is very peaceful.

If you prefer the convenience of having more choices for restaurants in the evening though, then Lecco is a good choice. It’s also accessible by rail and is bigger – but not too big – than the smaller villages like Varenna or Tremezzo. We really enjoyed staying in Lecco and exploring Lake Como from there as our base.

Bellagio itself is lovely, but very pricey not only for hotels, but restaurants too.

Will be staying in Varenna at end of March into first of April and want to go as far north as Domaso, Colico, and Gravedona. We have no car. How do you suggest we have the most scenic views? Ferries are sparse going north. Thanks!

There are trains from Varenna to Colico about every 30 minutes, so you could easily get there without a car. There are ferries that go from Colico to Domaso, but as you said they are limited because it’s out of season still when you’re visiting.

Is there any reason you’re reluctant to rent a car? Car rentals are really inexpensive in Italy and a car would give you the freedom to explore Domaso, Colico and Gravedona. Unfortunately Domaso and Gravedona don’t have a train station, so it’s not even possible to cross the lake elsewhere and get a train from another town.

We lived in Italy for seven years. Europeans are actually far better drivers than Americans! You can’t even get a license until 18 years of age, and to get a license you have to go through medical exams, drive with a certified teacher at a driving school for a set number of hours and attend theory classes for preparation of the theory test. Plus, this is all quite expensive. So it’s a major responsibility to get a driver license.

It’s actually very tame. Particularly since you’ll be driving in the north, it isn’t at all crazy.

I would stick with companies like Avis, Hertz or Enterprise. They’re just easier to deal with. Some of the companies like Gold Car are cheaper, but they always want to upsell you on everything and they’ll insist on a huge deposit if you don’t take their insurance.

Book with a credit card that has car rental insurance. We always use our AMEX for rentals since we have car rental insurance as a benefit. Then just be sure to decline any additional insurance the car rental company offers since that actually invalidates your credit car insurance benefit.

We plan to visit Lake Como in late Aug -1st part of Sept 2019. We will fly into Milan & hopefully travel by rail. Which is more affordable (resturants, lodging & transportation) Varenna or Tremezzo? Appreciate any recommendations.

Meet Jennifer & Tim

We’re Jennifer and Tim. We’re professional travel writers and photographers who love adventure and wine, so we often try to combine the two. By day, you’ll find us out on some crazy adventure like snorkeling in Iceland in winter or on a long distance hut-to-hut hike in the Dolomites, but by night, we’re creatures of comfort. If you’re looking for a travel blog about a long-term around-the-world journey, how to travel on $50 a day or less or traveling with kids, Luxe Adventure Traveler isn’t it. Our award-winning travel blog is all about heart pumping adventures, world class accommodations and luxury experiences. Read more...

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